China Tightens Rules to Curb Price Wars on E-commerce Platforms
中国收紧规则遏制电商平台价格战
China has introduced new regulations to curb aggressive pricing practices by e-commerce platforms, aiming to better protect merchants and consumers. The 29-article rules were jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Cyberspace Administration of China. They prohibit platforms from forcing merchants to offer the “lowest prices” or mandatory discounts, and from abusing algorithms to pressure sellers. Platforms are also banned from using tactics such as traffic restrictions, search ranking downgrades, or algorithm-based penalties to coerce merchants into price wars or exclusive pricing deals. In addition, the rules restrict price discrimination based on user demographics without consent. The move addresses long-standing concerns that intense competition among internet giants has undermined fair competition and eroded the rights of both merchants and consumers.
中国出台新规，加强对电商平台价格战的监管，以更好地保护商家和消费者权益。这项包含29条内容的规定由国家发展和改革委员会、国家市场监督管理总局以及国家互联网信息办公室联合发布。新规明确禁止平台强迫商家提供“最低价”或强制打折，也禁止滥用算法对商家施压。平台不得通过限流、降低搜索排名或算法惩罚等手段，迫使商家参与恶性价格竞争或签署排他性定价协议。同时，规则还限制平台在未经用户同意的情况下，基于用户特征实施价格歧视。此举回应了长期以来电商巨头激烈竞争破坏公平秩序、损害商家与消费者权益的问题。
